The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers wouldn't be playing in Super Bowl XLVII if they didn't go against the grain during the 2012 NFL season. Bold moves to improve their offenses from good to great have made the difference.

The Ravens did it by firing their offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. The 49ers did by benching their starting quarterback, Alex Smith. With their respective replacements, Jim Caldwell and Colin Kaepernick, doing bangup jobs, there has been no reasons to look back in either case.

When Smith left the Week 10 matchup against the Rams with a concussion, he had a 104.1 passer rating through nine-plus games. Kaepernick has responded with an impressive 100.1 rating in his nine starts, including the playoffs. But the second-year player has put plenty of distance between Smith and him by also rushing for 506 yards in that stretch.

The 49ers have scored an average of 28.6 points per game with Kaepernick starting. The first half of the season with Smith, they produced a modest 23.6.

Coach Jim Harbaugh got a lot of heat for making the move, using an injury as the opening to do so. But as the Niners are preparing to battle the Ravens in New Orleans, he's getting the long-overdue credit he deserves. In addition to producing a more dynamic offense, Harbaugh has gotten his core veterans to accept and rally around Kaepernick as a young leader.

Jim's big brother also made an unorthodox decision for a playoff-bound team. Following a Week 14 loss to Beltway rival Washington, John Harbaugh let Cameron go. Caldwell, who had worked well with Joe Flacco as the Ravens' first-year quarterbacks coach, was promoted.

After an initial hiccup in a 34-17 home loss to Denver in Week 15, Caldwell quickly found a groove with his play-calling. He has struck the right balance by letting Flacco loose in the passing game while also ensuring Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce get enough work in the running game.

Since Week 16, Flacco has thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He has posted a 111.5 passer rating and has been consistently efficient in that stretch. In three playoff games, Rice and Pierce have a combined 91 carries for 416 rushing yards, or 4.6 yards per carry.

There was a sense of frustration and limited potential with Cameron at the helm. Caldwell has done well to recognize the players who must always be involved in the game plan, such as tight end Dennis Pitta and wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Pitta, Boldin and speedster Torrey Smith have all come alive with Flacco in a more diverse attack.

After the Harbaughs, the defenses of the Ravens and 49ers will get the most attention leading up to Super Bowl XLVII. There are a lot big names and compelling story lines on that side of the ball.

But thanks to the Harbaughs making the tough decisions, we'll also be talking about the quarterbacks and balanced, high-powered offenses. Without Kaepernick and Caldwell stepping into major roles, we would be talking about two other teams playing for it all in New Orleans.

-- Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News. This article originally appeared on SportingNews.com